To read President Heine’s remarks in Marshallese, lale Ewi wāwein ejeṇoḷọk Kwajalein: Enaan eo an President Hilda Heine ñan Kwajalein Day 2025.

For more pictures, see Ebeye in Pictures: 81st Kamolol Day

In her keynote speech, President Hilda Heine congratulated the Ebeye community, local government and traditional leadership in honor of the 81st Kwajalein Kamoolol Day last month on February 10, 2025. Kwajalein Kamoolol commemorates the liberation of Kwajalein Atoll during World War II.

“Ebeye stands out as the only place in the nation where workers commute on the ferry daily to work,” the President said. The president also praised the community for hosting a vital missile defense installation for the United States.

True to her words, Ebeye stands out as the remaining communities with an active practice of customary traditions — the daily lifestyle does revolve around the leadership of the traditional leadership. Women dress more conservative on Ebeye than they do in other island states.

Ebeye is actually the only island state with free access to drinking water. No where else in Marshall Islands produce quality and safe drinking water on a daily basis than Ebeye. The water distribution center runs 24/7 at no cost to the general public and private businesses.

One of the unique features about Ebeye is that you are within walking distance to practically anywhere, it does not matter if you live at the north end or south end of the island, everything — stores, schools, hospital is within walking distance given Ebeye’s tiny nature. The entire Ebeye island is not even one-mile long, that is how small it is. Although small in size, Ebeye is actually the second most populated island state in the Marshall Islands, second to Majuro with an estimated population of more than 10,000 residents according to data from 2021.

Ebeye is credited as being the second most contributor of RMI taxes in the millions yearly stemming from the workforce from the US Army installation on Kwajalein.

This year, Ebeye held the groundbreaking for the biggest project ever done on the island for more than 20 years: the massive seawall project for the entire  oceanside coast of the island.

The community of Ebeye and Kwajalein might be the subject of international discussion in the coming months in major news outlets following President Donald Trump’s recent announcement on his administration’s plans to build an “iron dome” for the US, similar to missile shield iron dome used by Israel. Kwajalein has been using similar missile defense and technology since the 80s when US leadership first coined the importance of Star Wars.